New CEO for wood processors
Mark Ross has started in his new role as chief executive of the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association of NZ (WPMA).
Delays in urgently needed treatments for diseases are often caused by a mismatch in global regulatory regimes. This increases costs and often leads to the duplication of studies needed for registering veterinary medicines.
Bringing a new veterinary medicine to market is expensive and time-consuming. It takes five to eleven years to complete and costs up to $500 million. To be efficient, the process needs internationally accepted standards amongst regulators and greater transparency.
One way of doing this is by simplifying the regulatory process to create a universal framework for researchers and developers -- allowing faster, more efficient approval of beneficial medicines.
NZ is a global partner in the regulation of veterinary drugs and for this reason Agcarm has taken an industry observer role on the VICH (the international cooperation on harmonisation of technical requirements for registration of veterinary medicinal products) steering committee. Agcarm's role on VICH is to represent the views of the NZ animal health industry at the global decision table.
With greater emphasis on the quality, safety and efficacy of veterinary medicines, VICH is becoming more important as a coordinated means to facilitate the global registration of veterinary medicinal products, while establishing and maintaining consumer confidence.
The principal goal of VICH is to harmonise technical data requirements of participating regulatory authorities before granting drug marketing authorisation or registration. Most of the technical work is done by expert working groups, who are guided by the steering committee. Current goals include reducing animal testing and costs of development, while increasing the availability of new veterinary medicines and accelerating the development and review process.
There are few industries in NZ that have the opportunity to engage with and influence global regulators, and meet with fellow international industry groups. With the current strong drive for greater cooperation in animal health, playing our part is more important than ever.
• Mark Ross is chief executive of Agcarm, the industry association for companies which manufacture and distribute crop protection and animal health products.
